Product Details

• Actors: Judy Davis, Sam Neill, Wendy Hughes, Robert Grubb, Max Cullen
• Directors: Gillian Armstrong
• Format: NTSC
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000F55X
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,449 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The acclaimed debut of Judy Davis is the best reason to see My Brilliant Career, and the award-winning film is highly recommended as the feature debut of director Gillian Armstrong. This was an early entry in the magnificent "New Australian Cinema" movement that yielded such classics as Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, and Breaker Morant, and 27-year-old Armstrong (who would later direct the popular 1994 version of Little Women) brought just the right feminist touch to this stately adaptation of the 1901 semi-autobiographical novel by Miles Franklin. Davis (who was 23 at the time) plays 16-year-old Sybylla Melvyn, on the verge of womanhood in turn-of-the-century Australia and determined to have a "brilliant career" as an independent writer and lover of life, but her attraction to a wealthy bachelor (Sam Neill, charming as always), and the pressures of her family to lead a conventional life of devoted domesticity, turn this into a romantic and highly observant drama of personal dilemma and free-spirited conviction. It's no surprise that Davis and Armstrong went on to brilliant careers themselves (Davis starred in David Lean's A Passage to India just a few years later). --Jeff Shannon

Jack Kroll, Newsweek

"Wonderful! An Integrity, Humanity, Warmth, And Humor You Can Taste... Judy Davis Is Lke A Summer Storm!"

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally released in DVD!!!, June 21, 2004

By	C Ruiz-Esparza "lisasuarez" (San Francisco, left of Albuquerque) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It only took a decade. My Brilliant Career is FINALLY on DVD!!! It is a quiet tour de force of good acting, beautiful art direction and cinematography, a wonderful story about a writer coming out of girlish egotism to join a larger world and form a vision, and an intriguing picture of Victorian Australia among the immigrant society. Judy Davis is sparkle and tang playing the volatile Sybilla, very molten as she fires, cools and then erupts like any young adult. Sam Neill, aside from being very effective eyedrops that reminds you of Gary Cooper or Alan Bates, swaggers and holds fast as her suitor, being a willing foil to unpredictability. There are accomplished supporting performances that paint her story with pathos, a lot of humor with the steady understanding of the importance of family love. In the spirit of a time when passions were to be restrained and redirected into more interesting pursuits, My Brilliant Career stays in character in this modern visual medium by presenting passion in the guise of mischievous boat rides and a pillow fight for the ages. You'll feel the panic of dust blowing mercilessly through the windows, parental anxiety, teenage anxiety, affection in the muddiest and wealthier places, and the frustration of love. It is edifying enough to glimpse into that time as a history or anthropology lesson, or you can just sit back and let it entertain.

I first saw this movie on double bill following Night of the Shooting Stars (by the Taviani brothers) at a movie theater in Washington, D.C. It was like eating really good lasagna with a really good apple pie. You have to really focus on each film and not think about them together. A better partner to My Brilliant Career would be Pricilla, Queen of the Desert, Man from Snowy River, or Lantana. You could also have a Judy Davis film festival by watching it with Husbands and Wives, Impromptu, or that film she did about Judy Garland. For a Sam Neill film fest, watch the Reilly Ace of Spies series, The Piano, Plenty, or Cry in the Dark. Or, you can watch it by itself, like a piece of really good apple pie.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless Australian Classic is on DVD (but not in USA yet)!, September 12, 2004

By	cal664 (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

What's to say about "My Brilliant Career" that hasn't been said already? A superb first effort for then up and coming actors Judy Davis, Sam Neill, and director Gillian Armstrong. Those 3 are truly living up to the title of the film.

In answer to the previous reviewers here on Amazon.com, true that the film isn't available on DVD or new VHS for that matter in the USA. I heard there was a problem with who had the rights to the film in the last 10 years. Supposedly, some Panamanian company acquired the rights inadvertantly with a package of forgettable Aussie films. Margaret Fink, the producer, said she nearly dropped dead when she heard this. Fortunately, Fink and Australia reacquired "My Brilliant Career" in the last couple of years through legal means. That's why "My Brilliant Career" has already been released on new DVDs in the UK and Australia. I bought the Australian DVD because of the widescreen presentation and DVD extras that it has which include a great commentary by Gillian Armstrong as well as short interviews with producer Margaret Fink, Gillian Armstrong, film footage from Canne with Fink, Davis, and Armstrong, and more. It cost me about $23 (includes shipping from Australia) for a brand new DVD which is a bargain compared to how much used tapes go for on ebay. The UK version is cheaper but has no xtras I think. These region coded 2 or 4 DVDs will not play on a typical DVD player sold in the USA, but you can easily find certain DVD players sold at Bestbuy, Target, computer stores, etc... that can be made multi-region (region free) so they can play any DVD in the world. I bought myself one particular brand/model for $50. If you don't want to buy a region free player, you can also play foreign DVDs on your computer DVD-ROM drive easily.

Hopefully, one day "My Brilliant Career" will be released in the USA in glorious DVD. The film has been broadcast on cable channels in the USA in the past year. Which could be a sign it will end up on DVD here eventually. Perhaps similar to how "Impromptu" appeared on cable, then a year later it was released on DVD. Cross your fingers!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful....Just wonderful...., March 2, 2003

By A Customer

This movie is truly a joy to watch. It is about a young woman in turn-of-the-century Australia (which is very accurately portrayed in the film) who dreams from a young age of being a great artist, whether it be in music, literature, or acting. She is a loud, unruly girl born into poverty but given a chance to live with her rich grandmother, which is the beginning of everything. Two main suitors clamor for her hand in marriage, one of which she detests and one of which she loves - but she is faced with the decision of marriage to a man she actually likes, or to pursue her dream of artistic independence. Judy Davis gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Sybill, and Sam Neill is at his youngest. This a wonderful, endearing movie that you shouldn't be disappointed with.